Bukit Aman say they know how MAS pilot cleared KLIA checks after three-day interrogation

KUALA LUMPUR - Police are hunting members of a drug ring after a Malaysia Airlines pilot was apprehended in Jakarta with over 26 kilograms of illegal substances in his luggage. According to Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, the operation was sparked by intelligence gathered from a two-day interrogation of the pilot.

Hussein stated that the investigation enabled police to uncover networks involved in the syndicate both within Malaysia and abroad, as well as the individuals implicated. He further noted that further details regarding the case cannot be disclosed publicly at this time. He also highlighted the strong cooperation received from the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) during the investigation.

The interrogation, initially planned for the 12th and 13th of August, was extended until the 14th, and the pilot reportedly provided full cooperation. Hussein explained that the investigation also shed light on how the suspect evaded security checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and revealed the syndicate's financial flows, both domestically and internationally.

The case involves a 39-year-old Malaysia Airlines pilot, who was detained shortly after his arrival at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport from Kuala Lumpur on July 28. Indonesian authorities disclosed that more than 26 kilograms of ecstasy tablets and a packet of methamphetamine were discovered in a suitcase the pilot had collected after customs officers flagged it during an X-ray inspection.